


The Foreigners

by DarthChocolate



Category: Titans (TV 2018), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Human Experimentation, Mature Themes such as child soldiers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-01-12 06:37:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18441080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarthChocolate/pseuds/DarthChocolate
Summary: The new DC series Titan first season ended on a teaser of Superboy. This story is my dark take on how that would continue. It has elements of the comic books and the Young Justice tv series. I hope you enjoy it.





	1. Journal of Dr. Itica Lacreta

    I never thought that my strangest case would be a pro bono one. My psychiatry practice had been lucrative. Still, every day spent listening to amoral rich people wasn’t very uplifting or satisfying. They didn’t want to change their lives. They just wanted me to placate their guilt. I felt useless. A colleague told me about working with child soldiers. It seemed worthwhile. At least, they wanted to change their terrible lives. The trauma that they went through had been heartbreaking. When a young African woman came into my office for therapy. I immediately expected to have been a victim of gang rape. It surprised me when she claimed that she hadn’t.

    “I was a soldier.”

    I turned on my recorder in my pocket. “How long have you been a soldier for?”

    “Training began a month after we can walk.”

    “Are all the children forced in the army?”

    “Only the children of the… servant class are required.”

    I leaned forward. “Amani, you don’t have to use English terms here. I would like to know where you are from and who your people are.”

    “It’s not safe!”

   “That’s fine.” I remained calm despite her outburst. “Just tell me whatever you feel comfortable sharing. You mentioned training. What was that like?”

   “Fierce, we are taught hand to hand combat, polearm, marksmen, and military strategy.”

   “What happen if you refused to participate?”

   “No one has ever refused.”

    “Was there a time when someone went against orders?”

    “Many years, we had a famine. Some people were discovered smuggling in food. The three servants involved had been set on fire in the middle of the street. The… elite who had helped them was imprisoned and quietly killed. I’m sorry. I can’t talk about this.” She abruptly left my office.

    I was relieved as I saw her enter my office for her next appointment.

    “Do you mind blowing out that candle?”

   “Not at all.” My secretary was right. The scented candle isn’t a good idea.

    She picked up one of the office stuff animals while she walked past. “I’m sorry about leaving you last week.”

   “No need to apologize. You’re safe here. I’m here to help you. What is one thing that you would like help with?”

   “I want her gone.” She squeezed the stuffed animal goat.

   “Who?”

   “I’m not killer. My parent tried to shield this fact from the others. They couldn’t protect me all the time. I didn’t want to endanger their lives, so my mind created her. She is the perfect soldier. I had her under control until my parents died.”

   “You have multiple personalities.” I found it fascinating that she was aware of it.

   “Sort of.” She shrugged her shoulders

   “There is nothing to be ashamed of. This is one of the normal responses to severe trauma. Your mind created her to protect you from bad situations.”

   “She doesn’t protect me. She scares me.”

  “Which is why you want her gone, I can help you with this. I will show you how to confront your past and realize that you don’t need her anymore.”

   It took several one on one session and group session to get her to open up more. She persisted in her refusal to tell me where she came from. I asked my colleague in the group session. She had the same problem with Amani. I googled her, but she seemed to have appeared from thin air. During a session, I desperately want to know her identity better.

  “Once my parents were killed, the rebel servants had overthrown the government of the elite. They didn’t want simply an end to suffering. They just wanted to eliminate the elite. Anyone caught helping or even crying over a deceased elite was considered a traitor. I remember watching them gun down a toddler on top of his dead elite mother.”

   “How did you escape from that situation?”

   I wasn’t prepared for her answer. “I lied to them and agreed to assassinate my elite uncle.”

   “Who is your uncle?” My heart beat faster.

   “I can’t tell you. Don’t worry, he isn’t in any danger. I won’t hurt him. I wouldn’t even harm an animal. Anyway, he has powerful friends to protect him.”

   “There is still a threat to his life,” which I knew that I would have to report. “He should be warned about it. I could tell him for you. He would never have to know that it was from you.”

    “Thank you, but I should warn him myself. I promise that I will one day soon. I don’t want to endanger your life.”

    Her words felt genuine, so I let the matter drop. “That’s a good idea.” Something still bothered me. “I am curious about one thing. You said that you wouldn’t harm an animal. Were you ordered to do that?”

   “It’s part of our basic combat to kill a family pet.” It is also usually the same prerequisite for serial killers.

   “How did you find a way around it?”

   “My sister killed it for me. We pretended that I did it.” Interesting, she mentioned that she had a large family. Though, she never went into giant detail about any of them.

   “I thought all your siblings were indifferent to you because you stated that you were very lonely as a child. After your parents’ death, they hated you.”

   “Except for my one sister,” Amani frown. “We used to play together as kids.” Tears dipped down her face. “Then, the elites killed her and kidnapped us.”

   “Why didn’t they kidnap her too?”

   “She wasn’t a good enough specimen.” Suddenly, her eyes widen at me. “Who is Dr. Miach?”

   I was startled. “I…” Did I say his name out loud? “I don’t know what you are…”

   She rose from her chair. “What is Cadmus?” She walked towards me. “Where does Dr. Miach live?” The tactic felt familiar like rapid questioning except I wasn’t talking. Yet, she knew somehow. She touched my face. “Sorry.”

     It’s crazy. I know how this sounds. In that moment, I completely forgot everything about her. My assistant forgot too. One night, the news had a part on about the suicide of Dr. Miach. The news story kept replaying over and over again in my head. I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in my gut. It wasn’t until I stumbled upon my misplaced recordings in my house that I heard Amani’s tapes. I started to remember everything. I immediately contacted the police with my suspensions that Amani was involved in Dr. Miach’s supposed suicide. Of course, they didn’t believe me since I had to mention the whole mind erasing incident. It’s true. I know it happened. I wish I knew where to go from here.

 

  _Later_

 

    Kory slid her finger across the last page on the tablet. “Why does this woman’s journal interest us?”

   “Because the day after Dr. Lacreta contacted the police, she also committed suicide.” Richard Grayson pointed to the monitor. “I don’t believe in coincidences. Also, she used her right hand to shoot herself when she is left-handed.”

    “I hope that we are going on more than the wrong hand.”

   “An old friend of mine alerted me to this case. I trust her. She told me that anything involving Cadmus needs a team to investigate.”


	2. Masks

   It was a typical hot day. Her father had been going through the combat drills with her and her siblings. They were in tune with all the moves. M’gann felt like an outsider who just pretended to be like them. She didn’t feel comfortable playing with them except for her favorite sister. They kept looking at her strangely despite being polite. Her sister had been visiting her friend’s house that day. She sat away from her sibling as they went to play after practice.

   Her mother dropped her arm around M’gann. “What’s wrong, my little one? Were they mean to you again?”

   “No.”

   Her mother knew when she was lying. “Please don’t bury your feeling. They will only cause you agony. I love you and you’re safe with me always.”

   “I’m always a freak.” She stared down at her white skin.

   “We love who you are,” her mother drew her in for warm embrace.

 

 

 _Many years later,_ an ER in Metropolis is finally calming down from a huge flood of casualties. Dr. Gardner rubbed her shoulders not because they hurt. The other doctors’ muscles were sore, and she wanted to imitate human behavior. Reading people’s minds made it easy and at the same time harder. They rarely said what they thought. She had almost been discovered for reading someone’s mind once. She strived to ignore most everyone’s thought and act normal. She realized that she wasn’t the only one pretending everything was fine.

   Across the hallway, Richard Grayson had been standing outside a patient’s room. He had been issuing orders to his teammate Gar. “I need you to watch over him for the next few hours. He is our only lead on Cadmus. If he awakes up, call me immediately.” Dick headed into the elevator.

    Gar’s smile had been fake. He didn’t want to admit to his friends that using his powers made his skin crawl. Ever since he killed that one man as a tiger, his power haunted him. He had hoped that after the battle with Trigon, the fear would vanish. It didn’t.

    Dr. Gardner saw the turmoil raging in his mind and felt a strong urge to help him. It wasn’t safe for her to intercede. She knew that she was the best being to help him with his problem. She meditated on his green hair which reminded her of her mother. Her mother was fearless, and she would have assisted him without a doubt. She approached him. “Young man, I need to ask you some questions about the cause of this man’s trauma?”

   “I don’t really know anything. I just found him unconscious.”

    “Did you discover him on a street or in a field?” She gestured to the empty room nearby. “Were there any weird chemicals or debris next to him? Perhaps there was a foul odor in the area.”

   “Nothing is jumping out at me.” Gar followed her into the room. “Do you think he was drugged?”

   “If his doctor had been ordered a more thorough examination, he would have known this.” Dr. Gardner shut the door. “Also, he had noticed the needle mark between his toes. He might have guessed that the patient did it to himself.”

   “How do you know that?” Gar didn’t recall her ever visiting the patient.

   “The same way that I know you can transform into a tiger, and how you wish that you had brought a soda from the vending machine. Please give me a chance to explain before you freak out.” Her black and gray hair turned instantly blonde. The wrinkles vanished from her face. Her scrubs changed into a cheerleader’s uniform in front of his eyes. She was a totally different person. “That didn’t go as plan. Well, at least you’re not scared. Anyway, I’m like you and I wanted to help you with your fear. Please let me try.”

   “I…uh…we can’t…I can’t do that right now.”

  “Oh, because you are watching that guy for your team. You don’t have to do that since he is a spy for Cadmus. He was planted here so the other Cadmus agents can follow your friends. Currently, there is a Cadmus agent trailing Dick. Another agent is assigned to you. He should be casually walking towards us in three minutes to determine what we are doing in here.”

   “How could…”

   “Yeah, I read minds. Please consider my help. It will only be an hour at most.” She changed back into Dr. Gardner’s form. “Wait here. I’ll be right back once I knock out the agent assigned to you.” She kept her word and was back swiftly. Gar hadn’t yet made up his mind. “Oh no, it definitely won’t involve needles. We are just going to talk.”

  “That’s getting annoying.”

  “Sorry.”

   “Fine, I’ll do it.”

   She beamed at him and grabbed his hand. “Come on, I know the perfect place to practice. You can text your friends during the ride.”

   They entered the “Wildcat Animal Rescue.” She unlocked the doors. They walked pass various habitats. Gar glanced some lynxes, raccoons, coyotes and lions. “So, we are going to discuss the mentality of caged animals.” He followed behind her.

   “As a child, I have been taught that outward appearance is clothing of the mind. Have you ever worn something unflattering?”

  “Rhinestone jeans once on a dare. They were hideous.”

  “Right now, the tiger is hideous to you.” Dr. Gardner opened a cage and gently pulled out a vulture. “I would like you to try on another animal.”

  “I can’t transform into anything else.”

   “I know you can,” she placed the bird close to him so he could touch it. “Haven’t you ever wanted to soar? Feel his feather and imagine the wind beneath them. There’s an electricity running through you. Your limbs are becoming lighter. Stare deeply into its’ eyes as its’ eyes are now yours.” Gar changed into a vulture and flew above her. She put the vulture back in its’ cage. At first, his mind was overwhelmed by the sensation of flying. Then, it quickly developed into second nature to him. “I think I understand better what the problem is. You’re slightly different than us. Please come down her, and I’ll explain.” The flying had distracted him, so she yelled in his mind. He turned back into his human form in midflight. She caught him before he hit the pavement.

   “Wow! Oh, you were saying.”

   She kept her back turned as he got dressed. “It’s fascinating. You attain some of the animal’s instincts and perception. Your previous statement about cage animal mentality is right. The tiger’s behavior took over you when you were uncontrollably afraid. It reacted as a tiger would to a threat by killing it. Animals aren’t evil or cruel. You have none of those qualities either. There is no darkness for you to fear. You just need to be in more control in your animal form. Practice will help and knowing that you are strong enough to maintain control.”

   “You really believe that? You barely know me.”

   “I have a lot of experience with cruelty. You have none. Also, your friends believe that about you. All that you need to do is believe in yourself.”

   “Why are you helping me?”

   “You’re a good person despite the fact that you’re trying to distract me so your friends can capture me.”

   “You read my mind?”

  “No, I can sense their minds nearby.”

   “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. You’re a good person. There are so precious few of them around.”

   Gar looked up. She had vanished. His team arrived a few seconds later. They believed that she was dangerous and killed Dr. Miach. She used his form to infiltrated Cadmus and stage outbreak of their weapon. There was still a chance that she didn’t kill the doctor. Cadmus killed him to prevent more leaks or over him causing a leak of their information. Still, Dick placed her as their second priority. They needed to find Project Kr.

   She listened to them discuss the situation. They weren’t prepared for this challenge. They still viewed a Kr as a threat and not as a victim. She had to save him first. From the intel that she had gathered, she scouted out possible locations. They were all empty. She panicked and reviewed all the data again.

   People walked passed her on the sidewalk. One woman stood out because of her cute little dog. Then she remembered that the Cadmus’ lab had a dog which also escaped. They had mentioned that Kr was traveling with the dog. Dr. Miach’s logs had a file about a special dog specimen. It would have a special diet. She rushed over to the nearest pet shop.

   A blockade was already set up. She slipped through it with ease. She was too late. The Cadmus agents had shot a green ray at him and the dog. He fell to the ground. An agent pulled out a cell phone. “We’ve got the specimen.” The words and the sentiment were all too familiar to her.

 

 _A few years ago,_ M’gann had walking home with her parents and her sister. “The Tumac-Tolk are good people. You’ll be safe with them.” Her father decided. “We’ll take you to them next month.”

   “I don’t want to leave.” M’gann held her sister’s hand tightly. Her sister returned the gesture with a smile. She never looked down at M’gann for being kind and affectionate.

   “It’s not safe here.” Her father insisted. “You’ll be force to join the army soon. We can’t protect you from their wrath when you refuse the slaughter.”

   “Don’t worry,” her mother gently caressed M’gann’s face. “We will visit you as often as we can.”

   Suddenly, there were shots fired. Her parents collapsed to the ground unconscious. A group of armed green Martians came towards her and her sister. “You should have kept your big mouth closed.” One of the men kicked her father.

   “What about these two?” They grabbed the two sisters.

   “Well, we only have room for one of them.”

   They pricked the girls’ fingers to check their DNA. “This one will make a good specimen.” He gestured to M'gann.

   Another man aimed his blaster at her sister’s head. “One less troublesome white Martian.” He pulled the trigger.

 

    They had the same callous nature as they prep to move him and the dog. She couldn’t let it happen again. Her eyes closed, and her mind connected to all the agents’ minds.

   “What the?!” A bright flash of light appeared in front of them. Project Kr and specimen Krypto disappeared in it. “Find the source of that light. NOW!” They scrambled back to their vehicles and left. They didn’t realize that Kr and Krypto never moved from their spot. It had been a mental illusion. As they entered their vehicles, M’gann quickly rescued Kr and Krypto. When they were a safe distance away, she dropped the illusion. She had a massive headache, but it was worth the pain.

    They were taken a few stated away to a house owned by one of M’gann’s alias. She placed each of them in their own beds. Krypto woke up first. She poured some dog food in a bowl and set it down in front of him. He carefully licked the food. Then, he devoured it. She went to check on Kr. He laid on the bed unconscious. His heartbeat and temperature had been fine. He probably just needed more rest. She was about to leave when she heard him stir.

    His eyes opened. His hand shot out at her and gripped around her throat. She felt his hand tighten. A dark thought arose in her mind of how easy it would be to end it all. She had failed to save her parents who loved her. Maybe, this is what she deserves.


	3. Turnmoil

  He had been poked, prodded, cut and burnt. The scientists demanded that he stay still for all their tests and take the pain. If he didn’t obey, they would shock him. They kept him and the dog caged up. Most of the time, he couldn’t fight back since the test were too painful. He wasn’t going to give up. He would find a way out of the giant tube. Finally, he did break free. They tried to stop him. He grabbed one of them by the throat. They were afraid and begged for mercy. Though, they never extended mercy to him. They were bullies and cowards.

  This red-haired woman wasn’t scared. She seemed to accept death. He saw sadness in her eyes and released his grip on her throat. His heart slowed down. He looked around the room. There was a window near the bed that he was lying on. The walls were blue and gray. Pictures of whales and sharks hung on the walls. The bed cover had an image of a dolphin. He wasn’t in the Cadmus’ lab.

 “You’re safe now.” She gently touched his face. He pulled away slightly from her. “Anyway, I’m M’gann M’orzz. Everyone here calls me Megan Morse. What’s your name?”

  He rose from the bed and x-rayed the house to find Krypto. His dog was outside on the lawn. “Conner.”

  M’gann stood up and extended her hand to him. “Nice to meet you, Conner.” He ignored her gesture. There was a brief awkward silence. “You must be hungry. I made some breakfast for you.” She led him to her kitchen. “Some” was definitely the wrong term. She had made large mounds of food from pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, grit, yogurts and ten different brands of cereals. “I tried to cook some bacon and eggs, but Krypto kept eating it. Your dog’s name is Krypto, right?” He took some pancakes and grabbed the maple syrup bottle. He yanked a stool over to the counter adjoining the kitchen. She picked a bowl of yogurt and sat next to him. As they ate, M’gann continued to try to engage in conversation with him. “This must be weird and overwhelming for you. I know it was for me when I first came to this planet. It wasn’t exactly like the tv shows. I thought that we could start off slowly to get you acclimated. Maybe, we could go to a dog park.”

  “I have my own plans.”

  “Perhaps, I can come help…”

  “No,” he finished eating. “Just me and Krypto. I don’t need anyone else.”

   M’gann sunk her head down. “Alright. Here is some money and a credit card just in case.” He begrudgingly took them. “You can always come back if you need anything.”

   Krypto was munching on a banana. “I won’t,” Conner beckoned Krypto to come. They walked out the door. They kept walking until the came across a gas station near a pharmacy. He purchased few different maps.

  He lends up against the outer wall of the pharmacy and examined a map to find his destination. The only problem is that he is going on faded memory. He remembered an old couple on a farm. They were glad to see him, and he was happy seeing them. It must have been before his time in Cadmus. Though, the scientists told him that he was created there. They must be lying cowards. He knew they had their own agenda for him. He was their weapon. They wanted him to believe that he had no option but to be one. He knew his memory was real. He figured that the farm was somewhere in the United Stated. He hoped the maps would jog his memory.

  A man came out of the pharmacy carrying a case of beers. He was heading towards his two friends when he spotted Krypto. “Hey, your dog is supposed to be on a leash.” Conner didn’t even lift his head. “Do you even have doggy bags? Can you hear me?!” He got up in Conner’s face. “Put your mutt on a leash now, or I’ll call animal control on you!” Conner flung him over the parked car. His friends saw this and were rushing over to fight Conner. Krypto growled. All of a sudden, they stopped midway and causally walked away.

   A fellow test subject had a similar power. He scanned the terrain to discover the cause. There had been nothing except for an unusual outline in an empty lot. Conner went and grabbed seemingly nothing. Though, he had actually caught M’gann while she was camouflaged. “Are you some kind of chameleon?”

   “Not exactly, my people can shapeshift.” She changed into her visible human form. “You can’t make a scene like that. Cadmus is still after you.”

   “We can take care of ourselves. Get lost!” Conner stormed away. Her skin blended into the background. She continued to follow him. This time, she decided to remain behind him at all times. He walked through a crowd of people. He paused at an abandon alley. “I meant what I said. Go away!”

   “How did you know?”

   “Your heartbeat,” he refused to face her. “It’s different than the others. Now go.” She didn’t. She just lagged further behind. He hoped if he ignored her long enough, she would get bored and go away.

   A farm advertisement hung on a light post. He figured that he would try out the address. The farm had a corn maze, pick your own berries and sold fresh eggs. Krypto enjoyed the wide-open fields. He played gently with the farmer’s dogs. Conner didn’t interact with anyone. He kept mostly to himself. It wasn’t long until he realized this wasn’t the right place. He patiently waited for Krypto to be tired of playing. Then, they would leave and check another farm. Everyone except for Conner seemed to enjoy the place.

   One little boy had so much fun running in the corn maze that he accidently bumped into Conner. “Sorry.” Conner barely felt him. The little boy’s eyes widen. He took out his action figure. “You look like Superman.”

  Conner examined the figure closely.  Another memory popped in his mind. He was sleeping in his bed on the farm. An alarm clock rung. He rose up and washed his face. The image in the mirror hadn’t been Conner. It reflected this Superman. Cadmus had never shown him a picture of Superman before because of this he didn’t believe them. They were right. “I’m just a copy. A worthless copy!” He tossed the action figure to the ground. He bolted away from the figure and hopefully the truth. Krypto and M’gann managed to follow him. Krypto arrived first and tried to comfort him. Conner gently shoved him aside. “I’m just a clone of someone else. I’m nothing. The stupid farm isn’t even my memory. It’s Superman’s. I’m not a person.”

  “You are a person!” M’gann fired back. “An inherited memory doesn’t make you nothing. I have inherited memories from my parents and my grandparents. It’s a common practice of my people. None of us are clones. Those memories are gifts that parents give their children and nothing more. You have the capability to make your own decisions and have your own feelings.”

  He roamed around the road as he digested her words. “Why do you even care?”

  “I know what it’s like to be alone and to be thought little of.”

   He doubted it. Though, he slowed down and let her walk beside him. “Should I still keep looking for the memory’s origin?”

   “Yes, I think so. I have some ideas of how you could go about looking for it. I can pull up a bunch of images on the internet for …” A group of men harassing a young couple distracted her. They had blocked the young couple from their car and were about to surround them. M’gann’s skin turned white. Her hair rescinded into a lone ponytail. She broke away from him and stroll over to the men.

  “Mind your own business, freak!” They didn’t have to tell the other bystanders who were already hidden away. M’gann crept closer to him. She mumbled softly in an unknown language. “What are you saying?! Are you insane?”

   She grabbed the man’s arm. “We want to hear you scream.” Her eyes glowed red. She yanked his arm out its’ socket.

   The man screamed.  The rest of men stumbled back at the sight of his arm dangling from his shoulder. The couple escaped into their car. One of the men pulled out a gun at her.

    M’gann laughed and kicked it out of his hand with lighting speed. “You feel justified because you’re the superior one. You have the advanced technology and the greater numbers.” Another man took out a knife. “You have all the power.” She rammed him into the car. “You crush the savages for greed and esteem.” She pinned him against the car effortlessly.

   Another man went to retrieve the gun. Conner snatched the gun and shattered it in his hand. “Run.” Everyone fled the scene.

   “You have nerve to blame them for their misery and suffering.” M’gann held up his knife up, “and never take responsibility for your cruelty.” She positioned blade at his throat, “or for the monsters that you create.”

   It wasn’t her voice, but the eyes were hers. The eyes were the same as he first saw them. Sadness and despair that he knew all too well. She was trapped in unending pain. “Stop,” Conner grabbed her wrist. The man wiggled himself free from her grip while her head was turned. He made a mad dash away. Conner wiped the tear from her eye. “You’re safe now.” She collapsed onto his chest. Her body shook as she cried. He gently patted her back. “It’s alright. You’re safe now.”


	4. Reflections of Memories

      For the next few days, Conner scanned through thousands of images of farms. He spent most of the days in an animal shelter slash veterinarian’s office. M’gann’s alias Megan Morse worked there. While he was researching about Superman, Krypto had been cuddling an orphan puppy. He would glance at Krypto ever so often.

     M’gann entered her office and dropped a bag on the table in front of Conner. “I brought you a sub. How goes the research?” She took a seat next to him.

     “Other than Lane writes a more vivid description of Superman than Kent, I’ve discovered pretty much nothing.” Conner frown at copies of newspapers articles. “None of it relates with a farm.”

      “Don’t worry, you’ll find something. Just give it more time.” She leaned down and rubbed Krypto. “You’re a great big brother.”

      “I’m sorry. I’ve been…” He tried to think of the word. “Rude.”

     “In what way?” She looked up at him confused.

     “You’ve been trying to help me remember the farm and been assisting me to act more human. But I haven’t ever talked to you. I only know your name. I should… I would like to learn more about you.”

     M’gann leaned her head back down and bit her lower lip. “What do you want to know?”

     “Anything that you feel comfortable with telling me.”

 

 _Many years ago,_ Dick looked over a police report. “There is nothing here.”

      “There is always something to find.” Bruce Wayne gave him that intimidating stare. “Reports aren’t always thorough. They ask only one set of questions. We need to ask more. Go work over the evidence.”

      “Go work the evidence” meant literally walking out in the actually spot. At least, that is what Dick had taken it to mean. Now, he was looking for all that he could on this Amani. His team’s clue to finding Project Kr.

      “Sorry, Detective Grayson, but I can’t discuss anything mentioned in our group sessions.” Dr. Cakusola informed him in the hallway outside of her office. 

     “Amani has been kidnapped by a fugitive. We are searching for possible locations that he could have taken her to.”

      “Leave the coward to her fate!” A male patient called out.

       Dr. Cakusola turned around. “Yafeu, what are you doing here?”

      “I left to get a soda.” The man came towards them. “She deserved it; you know.”

      “You have no idea what you are talking about.” She scolded him. “Please, go back into the room.”

       “She is a weakling and liar because she isn’t one of us.”

       “If you are telling the truth, then you’ll go buy your soda.” She remained calm. Yafeu finally relented and headed to the vending machines.

       “He is very…”

        “Combative,” Dr. Cakusola finished Dick’s statements. “Some people respond to trauma be being overly aggressive. Others withdraw into themselves. While, some go to the opposite extreme, and they become overly passive. All of them are in pain and in a constant state of terror. Please keep this in mind during your investigation. Excuse me, I must start the session now.”

     Dick realized that he wasn’t going to get anything more from the therapist. He hacked into her computer but didn’t find much there. He decided to question some of her patients. She had been right. They were scared. His other identity would have petrified them. The only one able to talk was Yakeu. Dick arranged for a relax atmosphere.

    “You don’t have to bribe me.” Yafeu ripped off a slice of the pizza pie. “What do you want to know?”

     “Why did you call Amani a coward?”

     “She does whatever anyone asks. Someone asked for her chair, her snacks or to cut her hair, and she does it.” Yafeu’s hands shook slightly as he lifted up his soda. “A real soldier holds his ground. He obeys only his captain. No one else! You obey your captain’s orders always.”

     “Other than being annoyingly easygoing,” Dick kept his tone peaceful. “Is there anything else odd about her?” She smiled at the waitress who seemed nervous about Yafeu’s weird sudden outburst. “Maybe something about her past?”

     “She rarely talked about her past. I forgot what she said. It was all nonsense anyway.”

     “Did she have any friends in the group? Or maybe a friend dropped her off there once?”

    “She is super friendly with everyone but never close to anyone. A woman of secrets and lies.”

     The waitress refilled Dick’s drink and left. “Was there any usually confrontations or unexplained absences?”

     “Once,” Yafeu scratched his chin. “We were all going on a stupid camping trip. Amani was annoying upbeat with it. She even liked the long boring nature walk. It was weird though. She slipped away before evening. They figured that she left because she was supposed to share a tent with old snoring woman. I didn’t care. More marshmallows for me.”

      “Roasted marshmallows?”

     “Like there is any other way to eat them.”

     In that moment, Dick knew who she really was or rather what she really was. He reported the information to his team. “The telepathy, shapeshifting and an aversion to fire,” Dick slowly paced the room. “She’s a Martian.”

     Kory was sitting on the couch. “Aversion to fire?”

     “It’s their weakness.”

     “Interesting,” she leaned back.

     Gar interrupted them. “She’s like Martian Manhunter which means she’s one of the good guys.”

     “He is, but she definitely isn’t,” Kory shook her head. “She is a white Martian.”

     Dick stopped and tilted his head to her. “Wait, how can you … How do you know that?”

    “Your friend Oracle sent this to you while you were out. I snuck a peak.” She slid a flashdrive across the coffee table. “You need to see this.”

     They finished watching the recording. “So what?” Gar commented. “She beat up a bunch of racists.”

     “Noticed what she said,” Kory rewound the recording. “‘We want to hear you scream’ is the battle cry of the White Martian army. Most everyone in several galaxies knows that. Green Martians are intelligent and peaceful. White Martians are deadly bloodthirsty monsters. They have wiped out entire races from dozens of planets.”

     “There is no way that she is like that.” Gar stood up. “She was so kind.”

     “They’re notorious liars,” Kory warned. “They’ll sweet talk and seduce you while stabbing you in the back.”

     Dick addressed the group. “We don’t know her. It’s better to lean on the side of caution for now.”

 

 

 _“Nothing_ seems to be working.” Conner muttered at the checker board.

    M’gann knew that he wasn’t referring to the game since he was winning. “Maybe, we can try something different. May I go inside your mind?”

    “No.”

    “Ok, would you like to go inside my mind?”

    His eyes widen. “I don’t see how that will help.”

    “I can show you ways of organizing your memories.”

    “If I were to agree, what would this entail? How dangerous is this?”

    She moved her chair closer to him. “The realm of the mind behaves like a dream except you know it’s fake. It’s important that you remember this fact. You can only be harmed if you believe the surroundings to be real.”

    “Alright,” Conner shifted in his seat. “So, do we touch heads to start?”

    “That’s not necessary,” she smirked. “Though, when I learnt how to do it with my mother, she held my hand.” She reached out her hand. He grabbed her hand. “Are you ready?” He nodded as he closed his eyes.

    He opened his eyes. They were no longer in her house. He was standing on a snowy mountain side. “Are we in your mind?”

    “Yup,” M’gann threw a snow ball at him.

   “Hey!” The ball hit his back while he stared at the two moons in the sky. “It feels so real.”

   “It will feel only as real as your own knowledge of it,” she pointed to a polar bear that appeared in front of them. “We don’t have these on my planet. I have only seen pictures of them.” The bear walked over to him. “Touch it. Is its’ fur soft or rough?”

    “I don’t know.”

   “What does it smell like?”

   He wrinkled his nose, “like cookies.” He could hardly believe that.

   “You are smelling the cookies on my kitchen counter.” She giggled. “My mind nor any mental illusion can create something that it hasn’t experience. Even if it did know, your senses can still reveal the lie. Notice how far I am from you.”

   “Six or seven feet.”

   “Now, close your eyes. What do you feel?”

   “Your hand.”

   “This is your lifeline. Remember this, and nothing can hurt you here.”

   “Can you counter any mental illusion this way?”

   “Pretty much,” she waved her hand and changed the surroundings. “It can be hard at times like being absorbed in book or watching a movie. You can allow yourself to forget.”

   “We’re underground,” he observed. “Is this your home on Mars?”

   “Yes, all white Martians’ houses are underground. I guess you would call this the living room slash kitchen.”

   “I don’t see any chairs or a stove.”

  “We don’t use chairs often except in our ships.” She gestured to a pile of rocks. “Since fire hurts us. We use these special heated rocks to cook. You leave them out in the sun to power them up.” She led him to the bedrooms.

  “You slept in small holes in the wall. I thought my tube was confining.”

   “Earth beds are nicer, but we do have something Earth doesn’t.” M’gann switched environments.

  “Where are we?” Conner attempted to peer through the pitch black.

   “The Giant Phobos Tunnel on one of the moons of Mars. My father brought me and my siblings here once when we were young. It is beautiful.”

   “I don’t see anything.”

   “Wait for it.” The sun light beamed down into the tunnel. It looked like they were inside of a kaleidoscope. “The universe has such great beauty.”

   “LIES!” A sinister voice echoed in the tunnel. “Stop telling him your delusions, freak.”

   M’gann shivered. “Go away!”

    “You can’t cast me out. I’m not the coward.” Corpses sprung up all around them. They were dead bodies of aliens males and females. Some had been corpses of mothers dying with their babies in their arms. “I’m a true Martian warrior and not some weakling. I embrace glorious victory.”

   “There is nothing glorious about misery and suffering.” M’gann argued. “Please leave us alone.”

    The figure with the sinister voice emerged from the shadows. She had white skin and was bald except for a long red ponytail. “You abandon your people. You would deny us our revenge.”

    “Blind hatred and cruelty with my dying breath,” M’gann stretched her arms out to protect herself.

     “Traitor!” The figure charged at her. “You’ll always lose if you refuse to do what is necessary.” She dug her claws into M’gann’s skin, “what we were trained to do.” Conner yanked her off M’gann. “Wrong move,” the figure twisted her body towards him. “Picking the orphan’s side over ours.” She went for him.

    M’gann grabbed her mid-lunge. “Go away.” She hurled the figure into the wall where it instantly vanishes. “I’m sorry about that. This was a bad idea. It didn’t help you at all.”

    “It has,” Conner responded positively mostly to cheer her up. “The light in the tunnel did seem vaguely familiar. I just can’t place where it was at. I also appreciate that you haven’t been reading my mind.”

    “I have been trying not to. However, in here I can’t read your mind without physical contact and sharing my own thought with you.” Her honesty surprised him. They existed from M’gann’s mind.

     Days went by, and Conner had yet to discover any additional information. M’gann suggested that they take a break from work. They visited the local state fair. He stared at one of the food stands, “deep fried butter. So, the cooking style here is deep fry everything.” He took a bite of his donut burger as he walked.

    “They are tasty.” She nibbled on her cookie fries.

   “What did you eat back on your world?”

   “Nothing as good as here.” She put down her fries, “some root vegetables, insects, funguses and a variation of what you called coconut milk.”

   “Aren’t some funguses poisonous?”

   “That’s true on this world and mine. My people can take a lot of abuse. When you are starving, poison looks appealing.”

   “My natural healing strong too.”

   “How do you…” She quickly bit her tongue.

   “They ran endurance tests on me. They would shine a green light on me and then inject me with something that burns. They would shut off the light and chart how long it took me to heal.” She held onto his hand in concern. “It’s ok. We’re both safe now.” Conner enjoyed his time at the fair and was happy as they returned to her house.

    M’gann kneeled down on the floor of her house and presented Krypto with his gifts. “Which one do you like?” She laid out two dog tags. Krypto pawed the Superman embalm one. “Here are your new stuff toys.” There was a stuff string ray and a stuff turtle. Krypto allowed the orphan puppy to pick first. He carefully played along with the puppy. “Krypto is so sweet.”

    “He is,” Conner kneeled down next to her. “I want you to do it.”

    “Do what?”

    “Go inside my mind.”

    She pulled away from him. “I don’t think that’s a good…”

    “I trust you.” He grabbed her hand. “This is the best chance for me to find the answers that I’m looking for.”

     “Alright,” she conceded.

     It was frightening to return to the Cadmus lab not that Conner would admit to it. He knew his mind would take him there. Still, he didn’t look forward to seeing the place again. It helped having M’gann there and knowing it wasn’t real. “They kept me in the giant tube during most evaluations.” He pointed to the center of the room. “They ignored me which was easy. Since they tended to drug me when there was no test going on. The drugs made my head cloudy. It was hard to concentrate.” He noticed her carefully tiptoeing around the lab. “What are you looking for?”

    “Links,” she inspected the various terminals, scanners and equipment. “Memories are usually connected together at several different points.”

    “In chronological order?”

    “I wish,” her hand slipped and touched an energy bar on a desk. The environment changed. “Sorry.”

    “It’s ok.” He recognized the new layout. “This is the cell that they used to have me eat solid food. Most of it was disgusting except for the pebble ice cream. I first met Krypto here.” The memory replayed out in front of them. “I spent a few hours a day with him for two weeks. We just played together until…”

    An angry voice yelled. “What are the specimens doing outside of their cages?”

    “Dr Desmond,” Conner snarled at the male scientist with the glasses.

   “Get the shock prods!” Dr. Desmond ordered his lackeys. “Force them back inside.”

    “Please sir,” a strange man with horns on his head came in between the doctor and the memory Conner. “Let me try asking him to go inside peacefully. It would be better for him, we do this.”

    “Fine! Just see that it gets in its’ tube, and no more activities. Your job is to make the weapon ready for deployment. I want it done soon!” Dr. Desmond stormed out of the room.

   “I can feel him.” M’gann stared at the man with the horns. All of a sudden, the man turned his head and walked towards her. She held up her hands. “I’m not here to hurt him.”

   Conner was puzzled. “Dubbilex won’t attack you. He is a good guy unlike Dr. Desmond. He taught me things and always treated me as a person.”

   “It makes sense that he is your mind’s protector. Every mind has one regardless of telepathic strength.” She felt relief when Dubbilex changed course away from her. “Mine used to be my parents or my sister.”

   “So, a mental protector is telepathic?”

   “Not necessary,” she kept her eyes on Dubbilex. “They are just someone that you have a strong positive connection with.”

   “That I do have with him,” Conner admitted. “Some of his education had been done telepathically. Do you think he implanted the memory of farm in my head?”

   “I don’t think so. When did you first remember the farm?”

    “While playing with Krypto.”

    She gently rubbed the memory Krypto. The surroundings faded to green vegetation and blue skies. The farm was barely visible in the distance. “This isn’t an inherited memory. It’s too blurry and has too much raw emotion. We can give you an experience, but you still have to emotionally interpret it.” She stopped rubbing the dog. The surrounding faded back to the lab.

    “How did I get a memory that Dubbilex didn’t give me?”

    She searched the room again. “I have a theory. We need another memory to compare.” The light reflecting in an empty tube caught her eye. “You said the light tunnel seemed familiar. Do you know why?”

   “No, I couldn’t come up with anything.”

    M’gann closed her eyes and concentrated on the empty tube. The light reflected off the glass. Dubbilex came at her again. Before he could reach her, he and the entire lab vanished. The place was now cast in darkness except for one area in middle. She and Conner approached the light source. It was a large box shape with two memory people looked into the box. Conner peered inside too. “A glowing baby.”

    “I don’t think so,” She came closer.

    He glanced at the emblem on the man and woman’s clothes. “It’s Superman logo. This must be his parents and his…” He examined inside the walls of the box. “Spaceship?”

   “It all makes sense now.” Her eyes lit up. “This and the farm are blood memories. My grandmother theorized this existence. No wonder, they’re very faint.”

   “So, their Superman’s memories, how does this help us find the farm?”

   “The ship appears to be using halkimbli energy. Since Earth doesn’t use this power source, it will easy to track. I only need to gather the parts.”

   “Maybe, the ship crashed landed on the farm.” For the first time, Conner was hopeful.


	5. Beings are alike all over the galaxy

   M’gann took Conner with her to retrieve some parts from her ship. He didn’t expect her ship to look like that as it came out of camouflage mode. It was about the size of a small airplane. The ship had no metal frame with alien tech. It reminded him of a giant seed. The ship’s wings sprung out like arms going through sleeves on a shirt.  The ship’s wall spread apart to open. Upon entering the ship, he found it rather odd. There were no doors and windows. He watched chairs and the control terminals seemed grow up from the floor. None of this made sense to him.

   “My ship is alive.” M’gann shifted through a compartment in the floor panel. “Biologically, she is similar to a plant. Her mental functions are equative to a dog or a cat. She is an offspring of my father’s ship. You can call her ‘Bioship,’ I guess.” She pulled out a weird gear and stuck it in her pocket. Then, she walked to the main controls. “This is where you pilot the ship. The right side controls the altitude. The left side turns the ship. Don’t worry about crashing. All of our ships have ‘training wheels’. She monitors all new pilots until they are comfortable.” M’gann allowed Conner behind the controls of her ship. “I told her that you’re a friend. Just knock on the ship. Wave your hand over this spot and the control will pop up. You can fly the ship whenever you like.”

   “I would like... to see your true form?”

   “You’re serious?! My people are viewed as monsters inside and out.” He faced her undeterred. “Alright,” she took a few steps back from him. She transformed into a large creature with long claws and huge sharp teeth. She looked like it came straight from some horror movie.

   He held her hand and stared up at her. She had been at least four to five feet taller than him. “I knew it. You’re beautiful.”

 

 

 _Back when Dick was a kid_ , _he would watch all the news reports and footage on Superman. He was fascinated by him. Late one night, he had stayed up to waiting for Batman to return from a case. Batman was working on the case with Superman. Dick had hoped that Superman might come to the manor. He was disappointed when Superman didn’t show. Still, he had so many burning questions about him. “What’s he like? How cool is it to fly? How strong is he? When can I met him?”_

_Bruce stopped rubbing his sore shoulder. “He’s an alien, Dick. He is dangerous.”_

   The memory popped into his head as Dick pursed his lead. He inquired a medical journalist named Linda Parks. “You did an article for an internet blog, ‘Wall of Weird’ a while back.”

   “Yeah, it was the only tabloid that would publish it. I’m happy that they did.” Linda gestured to her textbooks, “I’ve got bills to pay. Anyway, what do you want to know about it, detective?”

   “How was Amani involved in your story?”

   “She was a daycare worker who had an altercation with Mr. Thomas. She prevented him from abusing his stepson. The daycare fired her. How nice was that?”

   “This is all before he confessed to the police about abusing his family, stealing money and smuggling drugs.”

   Linda laughed, “his laundry list of bad deeds. Here is the crazy part. He claimed that he didn’t know that he was in a police station’s interrogation room. He thought he was at his favorite bar with a friend. His lawyer went against his wishes to try to plead him insane. After several tests and three different doctors, he had been declared sane.”

   “Do you have any more information about Amani? Maybe some background info?”

   She shuffled through the files, “just basic information. Though, I recall during the trial that she stayed by the little boy and his mother.”

   “Thanks,” Dick decided to pay them a visit.

   Ms. Orne welcomed him inside her home. “How can I help you, detective?”

   “I’m looking for Amani. We believe someone might have kidnapped her. Have you ever met any of her friends or family? We need to get in touch with them.”

   “I’m sorry. I haven’t met them. Actually, I barely know her.”

   “She sat by you during the trial.”

   “No, she sat by my son. He felt safe with her. I want him to feel safe even though I don’t. I still worry about my ex-husband’s friends.”

   “May I speak with your son?”

   “Sure, he’s outside playing.”

   Dick saw the boy climbing on his playset. “Hello, I’m Detective Grayson.” He pulled out his badge. “I would like to ask you some questions about your Amani.”

   The boy, Nolli, glanced at his badge cautiously. “Is she in any trouble?”

   “No,” Dick lied. “We are worried that a bad man took her.”

   “She is too tough to get taken by someone.” Nolli sat down his swing.

   “Because she beat up your stepdad?”

   “Weak people beat and hurt other that’s what she taught me.”

   “Strong people help others.” It reminded him of something Batman would tell him.

   “And they don’t bully others,” the little boy agreed.

   “Your mom told me that Amani made you feel safe.”

   “Yeah, she always protects me.”

   “Even now?” Nolli looked away. Dick knew that he was on to something. “Do you have a way of contacting her if you’re in trouble?” The boy bent his head further down. “She’s in trouble now. She needs your help. You can help her by telling me how to contact her.”

   “You aren’t going to hurt her?”

  “No.”

  Nolli sat up. “Ok,” he went over to the slide. He pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to Dick. It was her cell phone which thankfully she had connected to her house phone. Dick called in the rest of his team. They headed out to the address.

 

 

   Krypto and the little puppy sniffed the device that M’gann had working on in the yard. The puppy was about to urinate on it until Krypto picked him and carried him to a tree.

   Conner knelled down near the device. The device was the size of a lawnmower. “Music preference?”

   “Classical.” M’gann laid her back on the grass as she worked underneath the machine, “especially string instruments. They remind me of home.”

   “I thought techno would.”

   M’gann giggled. “Your turn. Hockey or football?”

  “Neither,” he handed her a wrench. “Actually, I prefer to watch chess and play baseball. Favorite dessert?”

  “Ice cream,” she grinned. “There are six different flavors in my fridge. I love them all. What’s your favorite dessert?”

  “So far, apple pie,” he threw the ball for Krypto to fetch. “That diner we went to had the…” He heard sounds in the distance. “Cadmus?”

  She sat up and felt four familiar minds. “They’re that superhero team, I think. They aren’t our enemies.” She rose to her feet. “We should talk with them.”

  A fireball came straight at them. Conner yanked M’gann out of the way. “They’re not here to talk.”

   “Don’t hurt them.” She insisted. “They don’t understand.”

   Dick, Gar, Kory and Rachel emerged ready for a fight. Conner bolted for Kory. Her fire attacks slowed Conner down but didn’t stop his approach. Rachel went to assist Kory. M’gann promptly knocked Rachel out with telekinesis. Dick threw explosive while he leaped at M’gann. She dodged them. Gar reluctantly joined Dick in the attack.

   “Stand down,” M’gann pleaded with Dick. “I don’t wish to harm you. We’re not your enemies.”

   They didn’t back. M’gann morphed with extra limbs, and she easily held off Gar and Dick. However, Kory was a powerful seasoned warrior. She turned the tables on inexperienced Conner. Krypto flew to his aid. The dog shot his heat vision at her which had little effect on her. It did light the bushes on fire. M’gann pulled back. Dick jeered at her, “can’t take the heat?”

   Though none of the team could handle it except Kory. She fought Conner and Krypto in the blaze. The situation turned hotter as a storm of Cadmus agents came at them. Dubbilex shouted a mental warning into Conner’s mind. “I’m sorry, brother. I didn’t have a choice. Please flee before they surround you.” It was too late. Cadmus forces had them pinned down. They opened fire on everyone.

    Rachel woke up as Gar and Superboy got hit by Cadmus. Everyone was scrambling to escape or to find cover. Kory and Krypto were on the offense. Dick was doing his best to protect Gar. Rachel had been stuck on her own as shots headed her way. Thankfully, M’gann came to her rescue and blocked the shots with her telekinesis. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed. She knew that they were all in it together. “What are we going to do?”

   M’gann established a mental link between their three minds. “Rachel, I need you to punch a hole in their defense. I’ll protect you. Once she does, we make a run for it.” Rachel used her powers to attack one squad of agents. Dick carried the unconscious Gar while M’gann grabbed Rachel. Dubbilex intercepted them as ran for the forest. “It’s alright.” She waved her arm in front of Dick. “He’s a friend. He will lead you to safety.”

   “He doesn’t look like a friend.” Rachel was skeptical.

   M’gann held Rachel’s shoulder. “We need to go back and get the others. I need you to punch another hole.” They went toward Kory and the other near the fire. Rachel knocked down a line of Cadmus agents. Kory grabbed Conner. Rachel bolt away. Now, all the enemy fire was concentrated on them. They couldn’t make a successful escape with all that heat on them. M’gann decided to stay behind to draw their fire away. Krypto lingered by her side. “Go! Conner needs you!” Krypto departed from her. She mentally told Dubbilex to take the group to her ship. They could hide there. She planned to go camo once they got there. An agent accidentally caught on fire during the fight and spread the fire around M’gann. She collapsed.

   “What should we do with her, sir?”

   Dr. Desmond spoke over wireless. “Bring her in. She’ll make an excellent specimen.”

 

 

   Conner was groggy as he awoke. “So, you’re an alien?” He didn’t recognize the voice. His head ached slowly started to disappear.

   “I’m not an alien. I was created to look like one by Cadmus. They altered my DNA for this appearance and these powers.” That voice was familiar. Conner regretted opening his eyes as the bright light hit them. He felt Dubbilex’s grip on his arm. “Steady, brother.”

   There were several figures around him. The grogginess finally vanished. Krypto licked Conner’s face. Dick ignored them and focused on the matter at the hand. “We need to investigate Cadmus and find out their objective.”

    Conner rose and quickly surveyed the inside of the ship. “Where is M’gann?”

   “I’m sorry.” Dubbilex’s face sank. “She has been captured.”

   “We have to go back and rescue.”

   “We can’t. They’re already long gone by now.” Dick stated. “The best thing to do is return to base and work on a plan of attack against them.”

  “Their plan is to torture and experiment.” Conner approached him, “which is what they are or will be doing to her. Thanks to you,” he lifted Dick up by his throat thus choking him. Dick tried to escape but hitting Conner was like hitting a brick wall.

  Dick’s team was prepared to fight Conner. However, they realized the danger of such a battle in the confines of the ship. “Stop! You must let him go. This doesn’t help us.” Dubbilex sensed the ship’s and Krypto’s distress.

  “Give me one good reason to,” Conner’s words sounded like a growl.

   “I can… find… her.” Cadmus wouldn’t use the place to hold her that they held him at. Conner knew this. He released him. Dick dropped to the floor. He rubbed his sore neck. “I need internet access and some intel. How much power do they need to run their secret facility?”

   “Good idea,” Dubbilex remarked. “However, they use our poor brethren called Genomorphs as independent power sources to run their underground labs.”

    “How big are these labs?”

   “Massive.”

   Bruce had told Dick once about the Bat Cave construction and how fortunate he was the place was already hallowed out. Massive construction would leave too many bread crumbs to follow. “Scratch that. I need to borrow a cell phone.”

 

 

   “ _Representative Gordon,_ you have a call,” her secretary informed her over the comms. “From someone who calls himself ‘the boy wonder’?”

   “Yes, he is a child prodigy. Please patch him through to me.” Miss Gordon picked up the phone in her office. “One sec,” she took out a tiny device from her drawer and attached it onto her phone. “All clear. So, how is Cadmus treating you?”

   “Like any typical evil villain organization. Hey, do you have a location for their hidden underground base?”

   “I’ve got three locations.”

  “Ok, give me the closest location to where I’m at and a layout of the base.”

  “Would you like fries with that?”

  “Thanks, Babs.”

  “Anytime, Dick. Be careful.”

 

 

 _Cadmus’ underground lab_ was busy as scientists attempted to gather all the information on the new specimen before it awakes up. They needed to make sure that safety precautions would hold up. Dr. Desmond oversaw the work with keen interest. This creature might be the key to his dream project. The scientists kept fretting as they stuck syringes into the alien. It never even flinch. One scientist turned to look at his colleague who explaining the results when he got flung across the room. The creature moved so fast that it knocked another scientist into a security guard. The creatures’ hand transform into claws. It was ready to shear the place to pieces. Dr. Desmond hit the button and activated the shock floor. This halted the alien’s attack. “The next shock won’t be a warning.” He lifted up a shock prod. “All of our weapons are set to twice the level needed to knock Project Kr unconscious.” It didn’t retract its’ claws. It did hesitate. “You’re a Martian. Aren’t you?” He observed a slight reaction from it which he took to mean confirmation. “We thought the other Martian was the last of his kind like the Kryptonian.”

   “It’s complicated.” M’gann’s eyes glowed brightly red. Her voice sounded sinister.

   “You are going to sit on that gurney and tell us everything.” Dr. Desmond commanded, “all your biological and technological secrets. Also, if your species is planning to invade our planet.”

   “Like you care,” she chuckled sarcastically. She gestured to his strange helmet. “I don’t need to read your mind to know that you’re not concern about the safety of humanity. You want our secrets to gain you power over your own race.”

   “Are your people planning an invasion?”

   “For your sake, hope that we aren’t,” she gave him a wick grin.

  “You better tell us everything, or I’ll shock you until you’re ash.”

   M’gann tore out the monitor on her chest along with some skin and flesh. “The galaxy is full of monsters. You are nothing new.” She judged the situation and sat on the gurney. “Let’s see how long this last.”

   As Dr. Desmond walked away, Dr. Spence nervously whispered to him. “Do you think this is a good idea? Should we just put her in lock down?”

    “Don’t lose your nerve on me. Find out all you can on it.” Dr. Desmond was so close to a concoction that would level the playing field with these aliens. He examined the latest formula and knew this was the verge of it. All the alarms went off. A security guard ran over to him.

   “Sir, our system has been hacked. We have intruders. We have lost contact with sections 1,3,8 and 9.”

   “Issue lock down!” Dr. Desmond left his office.

   “What are going to do?” Dr. Spence walked along side him while he headed towards the specimen.

   M’gann’s glowing red eyes mocked him. “There is nothing that you can do. They’re too powerful.”

   Dr. Desmond stared at the vial in his hand. “It hasn’t been tested, sir.” Dr. Spence warned him. He ignored her and drank the mixture. He immediately felt stronger. Suddenly, every muscle in his body started growing three times its’ size. He screamed out in pain. The scientists and M’gann watched him transform in front of them.

   “He is becoming a monster inside and out now.” M’gann tilted her head towards Dr. Spence. “I would run if I were you.”

   She did. However, the other scientists in the room didn’t heed to warning quick enough. The gigantic crazed Dr. Desmond grabbed them and tore them apart limb by limb.

    M’gann didn’t want to watch the carnage. She felt powerless to move. A white Martian soldier was supposed to revel in such bloodshed. There was a deafen sound made as the door to entrance broke up. Conner emerged from the other side. The monstrous Dr. Desmond lunged at him. He was holding his own against Conner. She noticed Conner’s looks of concern at her. Her eye changed from a flaming red to a soft auburn. She pulled out the tubes from her arms and came to his aid. The two of them together wasn’t enough to stop Dr. Desmond. She remembered the shocks panels on the floor. “Over there.” She pointed to Conner. They pushed him over there. She activated the shock, but it wasn’t enough. She picked up a shock prod and jabbed into him. Dr. Desmond grabbed her before he and she passed out.

   Conner bolted towards her and listened for a pulse. He barely heard Dick and Kory arrive. He kneeled down and lifted up the unconscious M’gann. “She’s ok.”

   Dick observed the relief across Conner’s face.

_“He’s an alien, Dick. He is dangerous.”_

_The boy looked up at Bruce. “Does that mean he's bad?"_

_“No, he has a very good heart.” Bruce knew Superman would be heartbroken to know about his bruised ribs. He decided to never tell him. There was no point anyway. Bruce had gotten has share of bruises over the years. Still, he wanted to keep Dick safe._

_On a farm in Smallville,_ Dick discussed the situation to a Jonathan Kent. “His entire life has been inside of a medical lab. He has minimum social skills and a temper. You don’t have to take Conner in.”

  Mr. Kent wrapped his arm around his wife. “We always want another son.”

  Conner and Krypto were upstairs waiting for M’gann to wake up. She lifted her head off the pillow. “Where am I?”

  He gently strokes her face. “Home.”

**Author's Note:**

> For more information, please go to https://aurora-light-blog.tumblr.com/


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